Page 128 of Falling Into Gravity

“Then you gon’ bleed for her, nigga?” French swung first.

Malik barely dodged it but his leg caught the couch arm and tipped a lamp over. Glass shattered. Solar screamed.

“Daddy, stop!” Aku shrieked

But it was too late.

Malik threw his forearm up, blocking a second swing, but French came at him harder. Fists flying left and right. They weren’t pretty punches—these were street hits. Quick, jagged, hot with emotion. Malik caught French once in the side, just trying to push him off. French came back swinging, knocking a picture off the wall.

Solar ran in the middle. “Stop this dumb shit! Right now!”

Aku tried to grab her Daddy’s arm, but French jerked back too hard, slipped on the Persian rug Aku searched high and lowfor, falling over the coffee table. His body hit the ground hard, knocking Aku to the ground with him. Her body slid across the floor.

Malik stopped instantly. “Shit?—”

“Daddy!” Aku screamed, trying to catch her fall, but she was weak from her fight with Quesha.

Solar was already on the floor beside him. “You alright?! You good?!”

French groaned, rolling over, gripping his back.

Malik bent down, helping Aku lift him. His hands shook.

“I’m sorry,” Malik said, breath caught in his throat. “I ain’t mean for none of this to happen.”

“You the one got my baby fightin’ in the streets?” French growled, grimacing in pain. And even though he didn’t have the details of what Aku got herself into, he just knew it had everything to do with the young nigga he’d decided he didn’t like from the moment Aku slipped up and said his name. Truthfully, French wasn’t going to like anyone she brought home, too scared she’d lose herself like her Mama did behind him.

“What happened to your face?” Malik’s voice turned soft when he looked at Aku. Her lip swollen and split. His eyes filled with heat again. “The fuck happened to you?”

“Quesha,” she whispered. “I had to show that hoe.”

His body stiffened like somebody yanked a chain in his spine. He took a step back, then forward again, pacing like he couldn’t figure out what direction to channel the heat crawling up his back.

Quesha?When the fuck did that happen?

His fists balled up on instinct.

“Whenyou get into it with Quesha?” he asked, voice low, dangerous.

“Malik—”

“Nah, for real, Aku.When?”

She looked away. Aku felt she’d handled herself so there wasn’t much more Malik needed to do.

Every muscle in Malik’s body switched into go-mode. That Crescent side of him was already halfway out the door. Ready to pull up, ready to check shit on sight.

Didn’t matter that Quesha was a woman. Didn’t matter that she used to be somebody he looked out for. She could have been his cousin, his teacher, the fuckin’ mayor—he wasn’t playin’ about Aku.

Not now…not ever.

That was his girl, his love…the only thing in this fucked up world that felt like peace. She wasn’t supposed to be out here defending herself from no bitter-ass ex or whatever the hell Quesha had turned into.

French listening to get the details Aku hadn’t told him yet. He growled struggling to stand. “You got my baby fighting with a fuckin’ hoodrat?!”

Before he could lunge again, Solar yanked his shirt with both hands and shoved him back. “Adrian! Sit your hot ass down somewhere before I knock you out myself!”

He blinked, chewing on his lip. He needed a blunt or something to calm his nerves. Just like Malik, French was ready to see any and every one that wronged his baby.

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